Customer Reviews

Cosco Scenera Convertible Car Seat Daisy Daze

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I was really wary when I read the reviews before buying this seat, because people had mentioned lack of cushioning, and difficulty of adjusting the straps. But this car seat was so much cheaper than everything else out there, I got it anyway - and I'm so glad I did!

As for lack of cushioning, maybe it has less than other models out there, but it's plenty for my little one. Also, it makes for very easy clean-up. Face it, at some point or other, your kid is going to throw up ALL OVER the car seat (or worse, diarrhea). When that happens, you'll be so happy you bought this car seat because it is very easy to just pull off the cover and throw it in the washing machine, and all that's left to do is wipe off the plastic base.

As for the difficulty adjusting the straps, I'm not sure what other reviewers were referring to. I have had no problems at all in pushing the little button to loosen them or pull them tight, which we do every time we get in or out. The safest way to use a car seat is to pull the straps so tight that you have to loosen them just to get them off (but not so tight that your baby is noticeably uncomfortable).

My favorite feature about this car seat is the safety rating. As an educated parent, I worry every time we get in the car because I know how dangerous it is to be on the road. With this car seat, I worry just a little bit less.

My second favorite feature about this car seat is the view. This is probably a feature of every convertible seat as contrasted with an infant seat, but I wish I had started with a convertible and skipped the infant seat altogether (especially since we are baby-wearers and rarely took the infant seat out of the car anyway). Once we got our baby into a convertible (she grew out of her infant seat), she could suddenly see out not only the back window, but the sides as well, and she could even turn her head to see the driver. Car rides suddenly became a lot more bearable.

My one gripe with this car seat is the cup holder. We hadn't even used it yet when the little plastic piece that holds it on snapped in two. So if you really need a reliable cup holder, this car seat is not for you.

The number one important feature of any car seat should be the SAFETY RATING! We checked Consumer Reports before buying our car seat and this car seat was the ONLY convertible car seat that was rated "excellent" for crash protection. Safer than Britax, Graco, First Years, Combi, etc. I was quite surprised that it was rated so safe considering the fact that it really is a bare bones car seat. It's not very soft & cushiony (but hey, neither is our daughter's papasan swing and she's been napping comfortably in that thing for 7 months!) and it was a little more difficult to install than the car seat that we're using in our other car (the Combi Coccoro). But seriously, who cares, it's all about safety and this car seat is safe. Just make sure when you're installing it backwards to keep the level line horizontal and it will help you install easier; if the line's not level the seat will be moving around way too much.

This is a good car seat for the low price but it does not have padding. It is nice that it is small and lightweight so if you need to move it from one car to another it's easy or if you have a small car it fits well but your child may not be comfortable on long trips due to the complete absence of any padding or cushioning. I just use it for the baby's grandfather's car but use a more comfortable one in our car since he rides in it more often.

Other people have covered the good safety aspects of this seat, and the fact that it works for newborns up to 40lb, so I'm not going to go into that.

I've been using this as rear-facing for 15 months now. Baby started out at 8lb - he needed an extra head support, but a rolled up baby blanket did the job until I managed to buy one - and at 26lb is still very comfortable in it. It has to be positioned in the center seat, otherwise there's not enough clearance behind the seats, but that's the safest position for a carseat anyway.

My main criticism is that while the seat is rear-facing it's very difficult to tighten the straps to fit snugly, if you've previously loosened them for thicker clothes or different diapers (we use both cloth and disposable diapers, and it does make a difference for fit). There's a button you hold down while you pull a central strap, and both are located in the center under the baby's feet. Which, when rear-facing, means the base of the carseat is pressed against the seat and there is barely any clearance for your fingers. I can't tell you how many times I've scraped my knuckles trying to get the straps snug, and I worry a little that other parents (or myself) might not tighten them as much as they should, simply because it is almost impossible to do.

Aside from that, it's working well, and we're very happy with it. I'm sure a more expensive seat would have some nifty extra features, but this does everything we need. If only there were another way to tighten the straps, it'd be almost perfect!

We've just started using this carseat for our 19 month old daughter who is 22 lbs and 29 inches. She is our fourth child, so we have a bit of experience with different seats and I like this one better than those that have cost us more money. We also used this car seat front facing for our four year old son and always had an easy time with it. He was older when we bought i for our second car and never used it rear facing though.

Please note that the instructions for this carseat say that your child must be 34 inches to sit facing forward!!! My 19 month old is on the smaller half of the growth chart at 29 inches, but I can't imagine that any twelve month old (old enough to face forward) is 34 inches tall.

We are using it rear facing, but to get the level line horizontal with our seat, which gives it the recline that other reviewers have complained about (so make sure you check that line!), we had to put the carseat in the middle of the back seat or else have the passenger seat pulled all the way forward in our Dodge Durango SUV. We also had to put part of a swimming noodle under the seat so it would recline enough. It is very snug in there though and installing it was not any different that any other seat we've had. Our daughter has plenty of leg room (another complaint that I've heard about extended-age rear facing).

Please check to make sure your one year olds who are FORWARD facing meet the height requirement to do so in this carseat. They must be 22 lbs AND 34 inches AND one year old to forward face in this seat!

I bought two of these for my twins. My primary car seats are Britax Roundabout 50s. Comparing those to these is like comparing a Mercedes to a Kia, but these Cosco seats are perfectly adequate for my second car that I use for quick trips to the store on weekends and sometimes for short trips to or from daycare during the week. I give them four stars rather than five because (1) they aren't blue as advertised (they're black) and (2) I had some trouble installing them rear-facing using the latch system in an Acura TSX. I had to get a really strong neighbor to pull the straps tight enough. It takes brute force. Also, the seats don't recline quite as much as I would like them to. When I tried putting a pool noodle under the front to recline them more, we couldn't get the latch straps tight enough. Another thing potential buyers should be aware of: Some Cosco Sceneras seem to have more padding in them and have higher quality fabric than others. I looked at a couple of Sceneras in a Target store that were cheaper than the pair I ultimately bought here at Amazon. The Target seats had no padding in them at all and had really cheap fabric. The seats I bought from Amazon were, I think, $10 or $15 more expensive but have nicer fabric and extra padding.

This carseat is terrible when compared to the comfort of the Britax Boulevard; however, as a second carseat (in my husband's car), it gets the job done at a price I was really comfortable with. I wouldn't recommend it for a primary carseat or for long trips.

I got this car seat a year ago when my son outgrew his bucket seat. We also have a Britax Marathon for our main car. This car seat was used as a secondary car seat. It worked, was functional, but now my tall (36 inches) 25 month old has outgrown it.

The pros-1.Just as comfortable as the Britax Marathon, if your child weighs less than 30 pounds.
2. You can't go wrong for 45 dollars.
3.It works well-your child will be safe-
This car seat was a smart purchase. Had this car seat been more expensive I would be giving it less stars though.

The Cons
1. My son has chubby thighs. In the beginning, it did not matter. However, as he got taller-the crotch strap got more and more difficult to adjust. I now cannot use it is just too tight.
2. According to my partner it is a pain in the a$$ to install in my 2000 Corolla that does not have a LATCH.
3. This car seat only lasted a year-and my son only weighs 35 pounds-he technically has 5 more pounds of use!

I made a big deal about getting a Britax Marathon that we can use as a 5 point harness until my son is 65 pounds. When we got the Scenera, my partner laughed at me for spending over 200 dollars for a car seat. The Scenera was just as comfortable a year ago, and so much cheaper. I am making her eat her words now. We (knock on wood) have about 2 good years left on this carseat.

Maybe if my son wasn't so tall I would have given it 5 stars. I know it's not the car seats fault. However if you have a tall child, you might want to invest in the Britax Marathon as it will last longer. Having said that, I will probably keep this car seat for child number two and use it as a back up until it expires or that child out grows it-whichever comes first.

Great seat, holds up better than most expensive ones.

Here's some pointers on getting this to tighten down.

They purposely make the strap tightener tight (All Dorel/Cosco/Safety first products use the same system, even on the $200 seats). The reason is they WILL NOT COME LOOSE (like I've seen other brands). They must be pulled perfectly STRAIGHT to loosen or tighten. The idea of the design is that the odds of the car seat pulling perfectly straight is nil, and therefore it's an extra safety feature in case the button fails.

Here's the Tip... take the strap, and measure where you need to pull it by taking it to the mounting point, then with it unbuckled, shorten the strap to the length you need, then push on the seat (if you can get your knee on the unit it helps), and then clip the buckle to the car... test it, if it's too loose, unhook, tighten a tad more and repeat... once you do this you can get a rock solid install.

A note about the "lack of padding". This is a safety feature also... as someone who has used racing safety equipment over the years... excessive padding is BAD. It allows more movement, which can cause more injury... the lack of padding is not to be "cheap", it's to make the unit comfortable "enough" while maintaining top safety. This is why this seat is loved by Consumer Reports.

I was very happy with the price but have two major problems. In the rear facing position, the location of the strap release is too low into the seat and is difficult to reach it with your finger. Second, the buckle release button is very hard to depress. I don't have really strong fingers but this is insanely hard to depress. I even had my friend try it to see if it was just me and she had a hard time as well. It is not my main carseat so I don't use it every day but if I did I wouldn't recommend it. My other carseat is a Brittax and I don't have any problems depressing the button and the strap release button is located higher up so I don't have problems.